John Denver project

The John-Denver project is the integration of the PhD projects of John Scannella and myself. We combine John's work on Triceratops with my sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the Hell Creek, in order to test biogeographic and biostratigraphic hypotheses, and study patterns of diversity leading up to the KT extinction.

We take locality data from Triceratops specimens and relocate the original quarry sites. Most specimens were collected too long ago (some over 30 years) to have accurate GPS data, so it can be a challenge to find the original quarries. Luckily, Triceratops was a large animal, so excavations of trike skulls tend to leave a pretty big hole in the ground, and are therefore easier to find. Once relocated, we measure stratigraphic sections, placing the specimens within the time-relative sequence framework that I have constructed, and take GPS data, plotting the results on topo and satellite maps.

We started this project in summer 2007 and are continuing through summer 2008. Some of our results will be submitted for publication later in 2008.

This locality is where the "Russell Basin trike" was collected by a Berkeley crew over 30 years ago. From the locality data stored with the specimen, we had a rough map plot and lithologic description, but this only got us within maybe 200 metres of the actual site.

We walked around the area for an hour or so, trying to locate the exact spot. Eventually, we managed to find the remains of some plaster jacketing (look just ahead of John's right foot). This was the evidence we needed, as the surrounding rocks matched the description given in the locality data. We had already suspected that this was the locality, but the plaster sealed the deal.

Here I'm sitting next to the "Bug Creek problem": an incised valley fill that eroded down into the Hell Creek during the Paleocene. This interesting but annoying sandstone occurs only a few metres from a Triceratops site we were trying to put in section. Consequently we have to go back and reassess the site in 2008.

John busy taking some of his measurements at the North Dakota Heritage Center, Bismarck: While on the road measuring sections, John gets to measure any Triceratops specimens we happen across.

Of course, as part of the project, we see alot of outcrop, consequently we find a few new specimens. This fine right leg of a Thescelosaurus was found while we were relocating one of the Berkeley trikes.

Driving across the Dakotas in search of outcrop to measure.

John standing at the top of the section in the middle Hell Creek

Down in the lower Hell Creek at an old Berkeley site. I'm standing on a microsite near where a fragmentary Triceratops skull was collected in the 80's

During our trip to South Dakota, we camped next to a large lake and woke to find thousands of flies on everything: the truck, the grass, and the inside of our tents, between the inner tent, and the err.., fly..

It was pretty gross, but neither of us were bitten, so I guess they weren't mosquitos.. or at least not hungry ones (but they looked similar, so we didn't hang around to find out).

This is a section we measured down near Ekalaka MT. At the base of the cliff you can see the Fox Hills sandstone (yellow with darker lenses), overlain by the basal sandstone of the Hell Creek (pale grey). Inbetween them you usually get the white sand of the Colgate, or its equivalent grey silts and organic-rich horizons. This particular section is interesting as the Colgate equivalent abruptly disappears about halfway along the exposed bluff.

Oh dear ..

We're fortunate enough to have seen the Hell Creek from a helicopter: it really helps to see beds thinning, facies shifts.. you see alot of outcrop VERY fast.